I was never there, I only read the book, I only saw the film

[sovay]

A double-header at this afternoon's medical appointment: the tech not only expressed surprise at my calendar age, but assumed from my voice that I was either foreign-born or had spent significant time out of the country, specifically she thought in the UK. Given the current climate, I should be clear that she was curious, not hostile; one of her children had been a staffer in the Obama administration and two others had been some kind of federal employee and she had considerable feelings on subjects from vaccines to tanks. But after I had gone through the standard litany clarifying the rather pathetic fact that I have lived my entire life in New England and the Boston area for most of it, she still thought I sounded British. "You should go over there. You'd blend right in." She herself had an old-school Boston accent. "People from anywhere, they can tell where I'm from." I am not good at other people's ages, but I don't believe that I look younger than my early forties, especially after the last few ravaging years, and I expect to be heard as American by anyone who actually has one or more of the plethora of accents on offer in the UK. Weirdest instance of trying to place my voice remains the time I was told by a very drunk Australian that I sounded like a Norwegian. Someday the question of my vocal origins will come around again because it has been doing so since my childhood and I will answer "Lisson Grove" just to see what happens.

Comments

[asakiyume]

You have what I consider a highly educated way of talking. I have known other people who speech shares something in common with yours, and for all of you, there's a kind of fervency and a clear articulation of your words.

... I've never heard a Norwegian accent, but my mother had a Danish friend, and I adored her way of speaking.

[selkie]

You’ve been around, astonishment at your age notwithstanding! It has its tells!

*hugs*
You don’t look much older than I ever remember you looking; and it’s been kind of exhausting lately!

[gullyfoyle]

People's perceptions of accents can be a hoot. I was once chatting in line at a restaurant in Oregon with a couple from Minnesota, and they expressed surprise when I told them I was from North Carolina. "We thought you were Canadian!" I took it as a compliment, but that was years ago and I had much more of my original southern Appalachian accent then than I do now. Actually, it's probably a little more pronounced at this moment since I spent the weekend visiting relatives back in the old home pastures and it resurfaces when I'm there and then takes a little while to wear off once I'm back in the flatlands.

[chanter1944]

If it's of any interest, I get pinged as Canadian from time to time. Wisconsin+a lifetime of PBS and NPR, not to mention the CBC and a number of other international broadcasters, and there I go. I suspect the PBS aspect has left tells on both of us. :)

[mrissa]

I also get pinged as Canadian. Constantly. CONSTANTLY. If I travel in the southern US I frequently get asked how I like this country, to the point where I have a standard answer: "Well, it has its ups and downs, but I'm used to it, since I was born here and have lived here all my life." This never fails to elicit shock.

[gwynnega]

No one anywhere has ever said anything about my accent or lack thereof, but in Boston, people often assume I'm of Irish descent.

[thisbluespirit]

"You should go over there. You'd blend right in."

Well, I suppose that would be one way to solve the obtaining physical media problem, but a bit extreme, really. (A nice thought from my POV, though. You should come very soon, so I can show you my Doggerland beach before I move away. <3)

Anyway, commiserations on keeping having to deal with that!

ETA: Btw, I cannot remember if I told you that I recorded The Stone Tape off TPTV recently, but I did, and I've started watching it now and am enjoying it v much so far!

[troisoiseaux]

To add to the general discussion of Canadian accents in the comments: my family moved (albeit only, like, a three hours' drive) to Canada when I was in high school, so I had a few years of people commenting on my American accent followed by people commenting on my Canadian accent when I moved back, and it was like... guys. I sound exactly the same. I'm just from the Midwest.

[heavenscalyx]

Years ago, my first therapist in Boston had a fascinating accent. It sounded potentially eastern European to me? But when I finally asked her she said that it was her family accent, and her family had been in Massachusetts since before the Revolution and were almost certainly Boston Brahmins — apparently they all had it.

[thawrecka]

To me you look very young for your age in pictures, but I'm Australian so my perspective of age is probably skewed. You could definitely pass for 30s here.